Survey: RCS expected to gain momentum by 2015

A new survey of mobile operator executives shows that most expect to have Rich Communications Services (RCS) initiatives by the end of 2015, but the new technology still poses challenges.
RCS is expected to allow mobile operators to better compete with over-the-top services, by offering simpler, better integrated applications such as messaging and presence features in order to attempt to recapture the usage and revenues that have gone to OTT providers.
A survey of senior executives at IMS World Forum in Barcelona this year, conducted by telecom wholesale provider BICS, found that 68% had already launched or planned to launch RCS initiatives by the end of next year.
The single biggest challenge cited by those executives was the concern about the ability to monetize RCS, and get an assured return on investment. IMS networks must be more fully rolled out in order to support RCS. Nearly 60% of respondents described the main value of RCS in consumer value-added services and multi-device access for end users; another 30% cited messaging services as the most significant value.
Another 20% of executives cited the issue of creating truly interoperable RCS services, including video calling, multimedia file transfer and group chat capabilities, as the most important challenge.
Almost one-third of the surveyed execs (32%) said that operationally, the main benefit of RCS was that it provides carriers with opportunity for innovation, and another 28% said it was part of their overall strategy to move to all-IP networks. BICS concluded that “RCS is now perceived as a long term technology strategy for mobile operators to create value and new mobile services.”
RCS is currently available in 23 countries through services such as Joyn, and the number of operators who have adopted RCS is expected to grow to 76 by the end of this year. MetroPCS has launched RCS in the U.S.
“The results of the BICS RCS survey show there is a strong ambition from mobile operators to leverage the full potential of RCS to bring next generation services to market. The success of OTT applications proves there is a huge demand from consumers towards more engaging methods of communication,” said Divya Ghai Wakankar, senior product manager for voice at BICS. “By deploying RCS, mobile operators can get creative with their offerings, while utilizing their unique position as trusted operators to drive adoption with extended reach across geographical boundaries.  By adopting hubbing and hosted models, operators can overcome major challenges and bring RCS services to market quickly and cost-efficiently, ensuring full interoperability and increasing their ability to challenge OTT players’ dominant position in this enhanced communications market.”